Brush



D. B. JUSTICE April 2, 1935.

BRUSH Filed Jan. 8, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 W .w n.

` April 2, 1935. D. Jusna 1,996,544

BRUSH Filed Jan. 8, 1934 2 sheets-sheet 2 Bg @ma Jwzzf m (IttornegaPatented Apr. 2, 1935 UNITED sra'r BRUSH David B. Justice, Charleston,0.

Application January s, 1934, seriai No. 705,789

1o claims. (ci. is-iss) The invention relates to improvements inbrushes, more particularly in rotary brushes; and one of the objects ofthe invention is to provide new and improved means for securing thebristles in the holders.

.Another object of the invention is to provide new and improved meansfor mounting Vthe bristle holders in the brush.

A further object of the invention is to provide means by which anybristle holder can be removed and replaced easily and quickly. Stillanother object of the invention is to provide means by which the brushcan be expanded, for the purpose of taking care of the wear of thebristles, or for other purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a construction whichpermits the bristle holders to bend, to prevent binding action betweenthe bristles and the element being cleaned.

Another object of the invention is to provide means by which the bristleholders can be mounted parallel to the axis of the brush or at anydesired angle with respect thereto.

Other objects of the invention are to simplify the structure of brushes,with the consequent lowering of the cost thereof; to increase thestrength of brushes, and to extend the life thereof.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentto those skilled in the art from the following description when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings; in which, f

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of one form of thebrush; parts being shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is a detail perspective view of one of the bristle holders.

Figure 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on line 3 3 ofFigure l.

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on line 4 4 ofFigure l.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of one of the end clampingmembers.

Figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of another form ofthe brush.

Figure '7 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on line l-l ofFigure 6.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 6, but showing the brush partlyexpanded; and

Figure 9 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on line 9-9 ofFigure 8.

Referring to the drawings in more detail, and particularly to Figs. 1,2, 3, 4 and 5, the numeral I indicates the shaft or stem of the brush.This shaft may be driven by a motor or by anyother desired means; thedriving means being connected to the end l' ofthe brush shaft. As themeans for driving the brushconstitutes no part of the present invention,illustrationV thereof is unnecessary. At this point it may be mentionedthat while `the brush constituting the present invention' isparticularly adapted to the cleaning of boiler tubes, andfor similarpurposes, yet it will be apparent that the brush is of generalapplication. And it will also be understood that the invention is in nomanner limited vto the specific forms shown and describedhereinafter indetail, for it will be apparent the structures may be changed and.modified in many respects withoutl departing from the invention.

Numeral 2 refers to thek bristles, which are mounted in theholders 3.These bristles may be of any preferred material, but for the purpose ofcleaning the interior of boiler tubes and for similar purposes wirebristles are preferably mployed. The bristle holders may be made of woodor metal.

In the preferred construction illustrated the bristles are doubled uponthemselves and placed in sockets Il formed in the holders 3; andthebristles are then locked in placeby means of a wire 5 Vwhich Vextendsthroughout thelength of the holder. In the specific formillustrated'there are two rows of bristles ineach vholder and, ofcoursetwo of the locking wires 5. The bristlesL of the two rows arepreferably arranged in staggered relation, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

' The mounting `of the bristle holders will now be described, and whilesix holders are shown in both forms, yet it is to be understood thatthis number can be increased or decreased as desired. Numeral B refersto a driver member which may be xed to the shaft l by any desired means;though it is preferably pressed thereon. This center piece or drivermember, if employed, is provided with a number of radially extendingprojections 'l forming therebetween recesses 3 to receive the bristleholders 3. In'the specific form illustrated there are six of theprojections with six corresponding recesses to receive the rsix bristleholders; but of course the number of projections' and recesses will Varywith the number of bristle holders employed in a particular brush. Whilein certain constructions I` prefer to employ l the driver member, yetitis tobe understood that this element is not essential and may beomitted. Also, in some constructions it may be desirable to employ morethan one driver member, vin which event lthe twoor more driver memberswould he uniformly spaced along the shaft.

- are slipped loosely over the ends of the shaft I into engagement withthe tapered ends Il Vof the bristle holders, and the parts are thenclamped together by nuts I2, I2, which are threaded on the ends of theshaft I.,` Where the brush is to be employed for such work as thecleaning of the interior of boiler tubes the nut I2 on the leading endof the brush may have a rounded nose to facilitate entrance into thetubes.

The end holders or locking members I 0, I Il, may be rounded if desired,'and in such event the top faces of the tapered ends II of the bristleholders would be similarly rounded. In such a construction the bristleholders would be locked securely in place by the clamping action betweenthe distance pieces 9 and the locking members I0, and the fiat bottomface of the holders would cooperate with the flat faces of the distancepieces. But in the form illustrated the interior of the locking membersis also provided with fiat faces, indicated by numeral I3, whichcooperate with the flat inclined faces I4; .thus holding all of thecooperating parts securely against relative movement.

By reference to Figure 1 it will be noted that when all of the parts areassembled there is a space I5 between the shaft I and the holders 3.This space adds a very desirable resiliency to the brush, andby'permitting the holders to bend prevents any binding action betweenthe bristles and the interior surface of a boiler tube or other elementbeing cleaned.

The brush illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, is assembled in themanner hereinbefore described. When it is necessary or desirable toreplace some or all of the bristle holders, it is only necessary to backoff the nuts I2, L2, so that the locking members Ill, I Il can beslipped back. Any one or all of the bristle holders can then be removedand replaced easily and quickly; whereupon the nuts I2, I2 are againscrewed. up to clamp the parts in place, and the brush is again readyVfor use. Y

While I have shown the bristle holders as extending parallel to theshaft I, yet it will be understood that they may be mounted to extend atanyvdesired angle with respect thereto, and also the holders may becurved, if desired, to give a spiral effect.

Reference is now to be had to the form of brush illustrated in Figs. 6,'7, 8 and 9. In this form I have provided an expandible brush ofextremely simple construction. Several of the parts of this brush arethe-same as the parts shown in the first-described form. Substantiallythe same shaft I is employed, except that it is threaded to a greaterextent. The bristles 2 are mounted in the pockets 4 of bristle holders 3by wires 5, just as described hereinbefore; though it is to beunderstood that in neither form is the invention limited to any specificmounting of the bristles. Also, the center piece or driving member 6, if

employed, is substantially the same as shown in the first-describedform.

In the expandible form of brush the ends of the holders 3 are inclinedinwardly as indicated by numeral IS; the inner and outer faces of theseinclined portions being preferably parallel. These inclined endscooperate with distance pieces II, I "I, and end holders or lockingmembers IS, I8, by meansrof which the bristle holders are held in anydesired position.

The distance pieces Il, I'I,` are preferably though not necessarily,threaded on the brush shaft I, and are locked in place by the lock nutsI SJ, I 9. In the specific form illustrated these distancepieces areroundl and tapered at the same angle as the'ends of the holders 3; itbeing understood that vin this specic construction the bottom faces oftheends are rounded to fit the contour ofthe end pieces. If preferred,the end piece may have a plurality of flat faces to cooperate with flatbottom faces of the holders, as shown in the first-described form; butwhether the end pieces are round or angular they are preferably taperedto cooperate with the inclined ends of the holders. y y l The endholders or locking membersV I8 are loosely mounted on the shaft/I andare s ubstantially the same asy the members IQ shown in thefirst-described form.` The interior ofthe members I8 may be round tocooperate with rounded end portions of the bristle holders, or they maybe provided with angular faces to cooperate with hat end portions of thebristle holders; but in the expandible form of brush the rounded orangular interior of the locking members I8 is inclined or taperedto'cooperate with the inclined endsY IS of the bristle holders. Themembers I8 are secured in place by nuts 20, 20, threaded on the shaftl.

By referring to Fig. 6 it ,will be apparent that the parts are assembledin the same manner as hereinbefore described in connection with thefirst form. It will be understood, however, that in this expandibleformwhen a new brush is being assembled the distance pieces are rst adjustedalong the shaft I to the proper position to give the required diameter.Usually in a new brush the distance pieces are so positioned that thebrush will have substantially its smallest diameter.

The bristles gradually wear down and after a certain amount'of wear abrush becomes useless for cleaning the interior of boiler tubes and forsimilar work if the diameter of the brush cannotv be increased. In theexpandible form this is accomplished quickly and easily. It is onlynecessary to back off the nuts 20, 20, slip back the members I8, I8, andremove the holders 3. The lock nuts I9, I9, are then unlocked and thedistance pieces I1, II, are run out to such position that the outsidediameter ofthe brush will be brought back to its original size. Toassist in this adjustment a scale (not shown) may be provided on theshaft. The distance pieces are now locked in vplace by the lock nuts I9,I9, the bristle holders are placed in position, the locking members I8,I8, are slipped up to engage the ends of the bristle holders, kand allparts are then securely clamped together `by the nuts 20, The brush isshown in Fig. 8 as expanded to almost its greatest size. It will beunderstood that this construction permits a considerable amount ofexpansion, and several settingsmay be made to compensate for the wear ofthe bristles before renewing the holder. It will be ob- `to give aconical or tapering effect.

vious, however, that the bristle holders can be easily removed andreplaced irrespective of the positions of the holders. While forordinary operations both distance pieces will be xed in the samerelative position, and will be given identical adjustments, so that thebrush will have a cylindrical shape; yet for special work one distancepiece may be moved farther than the other And it should also bementioned that While the brush holders are shown as parallel to theshaft they may be mounted to extend at any angle with respect thereto,and if desired the holders may be curved to give a spiral effect, asmentioned hereinbefore in connection with the first-described form.Also, the driver member 6 may be omitted from the expandible form ifdesired, as previously mentioned in connection with the description ofthe rst form.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description, that the brushesconstituting the present invention are simple in construction,inexpensive in manufacture, and possess numerous advantages over brushesheretofore known. And while I have described the specic construction ofthe brushes in detail, yet it is to be understood that many changes andmodifications may be made without departing from the spirit of theinvention; and the specic forms shown are therefore to be consideredmerely as illustrative rather than in any limiting sense.

What I claim is:

1. A rotary brush including a shaft, a plurality of bristle holders,distance pieces mounted on said shaft, a driver member intermediate thedistance pieces and fixed to said shaft against relative rotarymovement, said driver member engaging the bristle holders, and means forclamping the bristle holders on said distance pieces.

2. A rotary brush including a shaft, a plurality of bristle holders,distance pieces mounted on said shaft, a driver member intermediate thedistance pieces and fixed to said shaft against relative rotarymovement, said driver member provided with recesses to receive thebristle holders, and means for clamping the bristle holders on saiddistance pieces.

3. A rotary brush including a shaft, a plurality of bristle holders,distance pieces mounted on said shaft against relative rotation withrespect thereto, said distance pieces being angular to provide at faces,the bristle holders mounted on the distance pieces in spaced relationwith respect to said shaft, the bottoms of the bristle holders having atfaces coooperating with the at faces of the distance pieces, and asingle clamping member at each end of the brush for clamping all of thebristle holders on said distance pieces.

4. A rotary brush including a shaft, a plurality of bristle holders,distance pieces mounted on said shaft, the ends of the bristle holdersmounted on the distance pieces, a single locking member at each end ofthe brush, said locking members loosely mounted on said shaft beyond thedistance pieces, nat faces provided on said locking members, said flatfaces cooperating with the ends of the bristle holders to clamp theholders on the distance pieces, and nuts threaded on the shaft andsecuring the locking members in place.

5 A rotary brush including a shaft, a plurality of bristle holdersextending longitudinally of and spaced from said shaft, a driver memberxed to said shaft and engaging the bristle holders, and means forremovably securing said bristle holders in place, said means includingdistance pieces fixed to said shaft, locking members loose- 1y mountedon said shaft, and nuts threaded on the shaft and securing the bristleholders in clamped relation between the distance piecesand the lockingmembers.

6. A rotary expandible brush including a shaft, a plurality of bristleholders extending longitudinally of said shaft, the bristle holdershaving portions turned inwardly toward the shaft, distance piecesadjustably mounted on said shaft, the peripheral face of the distancepieces cooperating with the inturned portions of the bristle holders,means for clamping the bristle holders to the distance pieces, and meansfor adjusting the distance pieces to vary the position of the bristleholders. 7. A rotary expandible brush including a shaft, a plurality ofbristle holders extending longitudinally of said shaft, the ends of thebristle holders inclined inwardly, distance pieces mounted on saidshaft, the bristleV holders mounted on said distance pieces, means forclamping the bristle holders on the distance pieces, the peripheralfaces of the distance pieces having substantially the same inclinationas the ends of the bristle holders where the distance pieces contactwith the bristol holders, and means for adjusting the distance pieceslongitudinally of said shaft to expand the brush. 8. A rotary expandiblebrush including a shaft, a plurality of bristle holders extendinglongitudinally of said shaft, said bristle holders having inclinedportions adjacent the ends thereof, means for removably and adjustablysecuring the bristle holders in place, said means including distancepieces mounted on the shaft, locking members mounted on the shaft beyondthe distance pieces, the distance pieces and locking members havinginclined portions cooperating with the inclined portions of the bristleholders, and means for adjusting the distance pieces and the lockingmembers to adjust the position of the bristle holders. 9 A rotaryexpandible brush including a shaft, a plurality of bristle holdersextending longitudinally of said shaft, a driver member xed to saidshaft and engaging the bristle holders, said bristle holders havinginclined portions adjacent the ends thereof, means for removably andadjustably se- .d

ing with the inclined portions of the bristle hold-f ers, and means foradjusting the distance pieces and the locking members to adjust theposition of the bristle holders.

10. A rotary expandible brush including a shaft, a plurality of bristleholders extending longitudinally of said shaft, the bristle holdershaving inclined portions, distance pieces mounted on the shaft, saiddistance pieces having inclined portions cooperating with the inclinedportions of the bristle holders, means for clamping the bristle holderson the distance pieces, and means for adjusting one of the distancepieces independently of the other distance piece to give any desiredangle to the bristle holders.

DAVID B. JUSTICE.

